Travel and tips

Traveling with toddlers can be torture. New sights and sounds can be overwhelming to a young child and vacation excitement can quickly turn into temper tantrums if you’re not prepared. Here are 10 parent-practiced tips to help make traveling with toddlers fun.
1. Choose a family-friendly destination. Skip the crowded tourist destinations and opt instead for a locale that is accustomed to having kids around.
2. Safety first! Always make sure your child’s car seat is properly secured. Also, use a removable window shade to help block the sun.
3. Pack entertainment. “Best bets for entertaining your child in the car and hotel room include favorite books, games and toys,” says Nancy Wolpert of Nickelodeon Home Entertainment. For all-inclusive entertainment, she recommends two new DVDs that feature a collection of kids’ favorite TV shows. “The Nick Picks and Nick Jr. Favorites DVDs will keep them entertained for hours,” Wolpert promises.
4. Plan rest stops. If you’re driving, break up the monotony by stopping every couple of hours (or more frequently if necessary). Kids need to stretch out after being cooped up in a car for a while. Consider bringing along a ball to kick or throw around during these breaks.
5. Be flexible. Set realistic expectations and let your child soak up the experience at his or her own pace. You might want to limit your activities to one a day. Otherwise, you could wind up with an over-stimulated toddler.
6. Bring water and plenty of snacks. Fruit, granola bars, mini juice cartons and small boxes of cereal make for great, healthy snacks.
7. Bring a beloved item. A blankie or cuddly toy will help your toddler feel safe and secure. Be sure to have a replacement on hand, too. It will save you some heartache should the original get lost.
8. Start and end your day early. Kids are at their best in the morning, so plan accordingly.
9. Stick to your routine. Eating, napping and playing at the same time each day may be all your child needs to feel comfortable in a new environment.
10. Take lots of pictures. They’re only young once, so enjoy every moment! - NU

Where is Lanzarote ? - It is located on the eastern side of the Canary Islands and is a mere 13 miles wide and 40 miles long, so you can travel to each and every part of the island and spend the whole day not having to worry about lengthy journeys to and from excursions and one of the most appealing aspects is the climate as it offers warm temperatures and scarce rains all year around, turning it into a great place for those who wish to spend time at the beach and enjoy as many outdoor activities as possible. Whether you are in to Land, Sea or Air sports there is plenty of everything here : Cycling, Go-Karting, Golf, Horse-riding, Jeep Safari, Quad-Bike Safari, Rancho Texas & The Tropical Park Boat Cruises, Catamaran, Fishing, Submarine or perhaps you just want to go to an aquapark. Flight Tours, Hand-Gliding & Parasailing If you prefer the more cultural aspects of a location, then you have to come to ‘heaven’. This side of Lanzarote is best summed by the mere mention of one mans name - Cesar Manrique, a man whose influence can be seen all over the island at places like Castillo de San Jose, Ceuva de los Verdes, Fundacion Manrique, Jameous Del Aqua, Jardin De Cactus, Mirador Del Rio, Museo Campesino and the fantasic Timanfaya (”Fire Mountain”) and in future articles I will write about each of these. Lanzarote is the only place in the world where you have your lunch in a cafeteria that is built on top of an active volcano, where the heat to cook your food comes from the volcano itself ? - See my article 21 on Timafaya and where else can you go deep into a cavern in the middle of nowhere and find a huge ampitheatre used for live concerts, aplace that doubles as a nightclub two evening a week ? - See my article 22 on the Northern Attractions If you want a great beach, then again Lanzarote has one to compare with the very best.
- See my article 11 on Yaiza Beaches and Punta de Papagayo

In fact, in June there is the famous Writers Festival and, during the same week, the World Festival of Puppet Art in Prague, more precisely from 1 to 8 of June 2008. There will be all kinds of theatre shows and puppet films, for children and adults, in competition with each other, from traditional Puppetry, to the new and more innovate works. Puppeteers, as every year, come from all over the world, included companies from the Far East, South America and Europe.

An international Jury will award a prize for: Best performance, Best artistic creation, Best Scenery and Puppet Design, Best Animation, Best Director, Best Actor, Best original performance, Best scenario, Best puppet film and some other special awards. To get the complete program and any variation on the calendar, please check the official Festival website: puppetart.com. So do not miss spending a magnificent week in Prague in June. And if you love literature too, you can always immerse yourself at the International Writers Festival held in the same days and visit Kafkas’ House and museum!! Last but not least, if you are seriously thinking to visit Prague on those days, keep in mind that the city can be overbooked quite soon and it’s a good thing to book in advance. Nevertheless, there are plenty of accommodation options in Prague for different travellers, backpackers and families budgets! Depending on who are your travelling mates you can choose to stay in a private apartment, hotel, guest house or youth hostel.

Concerning Prague apartments, the city is lately offering upper standards of comforts, services and atmosphere. In fact, apartments are usually very well refurbished and coloured on an ikea style, so to say. You can expect to pay something like 20-40 euros per night per person. It’s more or less what you would spend in a youth hostel. Some good apartments are located right in Prague historical centre: check by yourself the Old Town Apartment House, Apartments Magicka Zahrada ( magic Garden), Hotel Apartments Wenceslas Square or Amazing Prague Apartments.

In terms of hostels or youth hostels, Prague has a lot to offer too with prices starting from 14 euros per person! Some of the best located and beloved hostels in Prague are the Chilli Hostel, the Manhattan hostel, hostel le Papillon, Leon Hostel, Plus Prague hostel, Hostel Spoas.